Varsity Extra » Valley Christian footballhttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports
Mercury News' Santa Clara and San Mateo counties high school sports blogTue, 31 Mar 2015 14:08:48 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=3.5.1Football rewind: Valley Christian coach Mike Machado not entirely satisfied despite 55-0 victoryhttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/2014/09/08/football-rewind-valley-christian-coach-not-entirely-satisfied-despite-55-0-victory/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/2014/09/08/football-rewind-valley-christian-coach-not-entirely-satisfied-despite-55-0-victory/#commentsTue, 09 Sep 2014 01:01:29 +0000Darren Sabedrahttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/?p=7216
Valley Christian coach Mike Machado was on his way to practice Monday when I asked him if his team’s season opener could have have gone any better? “Yeah,” Machado said, three days after a 55-0 victory over Pioneer. “We could… Continue Reading →]]>Valley Christian coach Mike Machado was on his way to practice Monday when I asked him if his team's season opener could have have gone any better?
“Yeah,” Machado said, three days after a 55-0 victory over Pioneer. “We could have done without eight penalties. That’s something we’re going to address. Make no mistake about it.”
Other than those infractions, it was an impressive start for a team that rose to No. 2 in Cal Hi-Sports’ Bay Area rankings, behind only De La Salle.
Texas commit Kirk Johnson, healthy again after an injury-plagued junior season, rushed for 223 yards and four touchdowns in 12 carries.
Michael Machado, in his second season at quarterback, threw for 146 yards and two touchdowns, completing 6 of 9 throws.
Kirk Johnson’s younger brother, Collin, caught four passes for 90 yards and a score.
The defense, led by linemen Daniel Dunham, Ednin Sosa and a host of others, yielded just 43 yards of total offense against an opponent that won its league last season.
“Other parts of the game, yeah, I thought our kids did a good job,” Machado said. “We finished, which is what we talked about all summer and going into this year, that we're going to make sure we were able to finish. So I am happy about that.
“Obviously, we ran the ball well. I didn’t think we ran the ball very well against Menlo-Atherton in our scrimmage. We were able to Friday night run it and throw it pretty well.”
*********
Asked about Kirk Johnson’s performance, Machado said: “The first touchdown run, 43 yards, he wasn’t touched. There wasn’t a guy from the other team that had a fingerprint anywhere near him.
“He had one other one where if he was touched, it wasn’t by much. That was about an 80-yard run just before halftime. He made a great move on that one. He bounced outside and then his speed just took over from there.”
*********
Judging by the numbers, Michael Machado’s play at quarterback seemed much-improved from last season. The elder Machado credited his son’s play to a stronger emphasis on football.
“He gave up baseball to concentrate on football, and I think that paid off for him,” Machado said. “I’m glad to see that for him. He looks like a confident quarterback when he’s out there playing right now. That’s important for any kid to have.”
*********
The shutout Friday came despite the absence of last year’s co-West Catholic Athletic League linebacker of the year Jesse Osuna, who left Valley Christian after what Machado described as an incident at the school.
“He and his family felt it was better for him to go someplace else,” Machado said.
Among the defensive players Machado credited was Mark Quinby, who the coach said did a great job at middle linebacker, filling the hole left by Osuna’s departure.
*********
Now, Valley Christian prepares this week for a road game Friday at nearby Oak Grove, which is coming off a 28-0 loss to St. Francis but has hopes of turning things around this fall after a rough season in 2013.
“We watched them on film, and they’re athletic,” Machado said. “They’re more athletic than I think we saw this last week. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing. We’re going to prepare the same for everybody.”
*********
Week 2 schedule

Friday

Los Gatos at Menlo-Atherton, 3:30 p.m.

Sacred Heart Prep at Archbishop Riordan, 4 p.m.

Jefferson vs. Albany at Albany MS, 6:30 p.m.

San Leandro vs. Bellarmine College Prep at San Jose City College, 7 p.m.

Serra at Notre Dame-Sherman Oaks, 7 p.m.

St. Ignatius at Terra Nova, 7 p.m.

Burlingame at Leland, 7 p.m.

Capuchino at South San Francisco, 7 p.m.

Gunderson at Pioneer, 7 p.m.

Harker at Del Mar, 7 p.m.

Leigh at Westmont, 7 p.m.

Lick at Cupertino, 7 p.m.

Monta Vista at Fremont, 7 p.m.

Mountain View at Evergreen Valley, 7 p.m.

Overfelt at Silver Creek, 7 p.m.

San Jose at King’s Academy, 7 p.m.

Santa Clara at Half Moon Bay, 7 p.m.

Santa Teresa at Lincoln, 7 p.m.

Willow Glen at Saratoga, 7 p,m.

Castlemont at Branham, 7 p.m.

Irvington at Andrew Hill, 7 p.m.

Lincoln at Hillsdale, 7 p.m.

Milpitas at Newark Memorial, 7 p.m.

Sequoia at Valley Center, 7 p.m.

St. Francis vs. Palma at Salinas Sports Complex, 7:30 p.m.

Valley Christian at Oak Grove, 7:30 p.m.

Carlmont at Gunn, 7:30 p.m.

Live Oak at Christopher, 7:30 p.m.

Marina vs. Los Altos at Monterey Peninsula College, 7:30 p.m.

Palo Alto at San Benito, 7:30 p.m.

Piedmont Hills at Homestead, 7:30 p.m.

Saturday

Gilroy at Sobrato, 1:45 p.m.

Sacred Heart Cathedral at Novato 2 p.m.

Aragon at El Camino, 2 p.m.

Lynbrook at San Mateo, 2 p.m.

Yerba Buena at St. Francis, 2 p.m.

Mission-San Francisco vs. Menlo School at Sequoia High, 7 p.m.

Mission San Jose vs. Mills at Washington High-Fremont, 7 p.m.

*********

TWITTER
If you have not already, please follow us on Twitter here:
@DarrenSabedra@GReeves23@MercPreps
*********
‘LIKE’ US ON FACEBOOK
Here is the link to the Mercury News high school sports page on Facebook. Please “like” us and share our content.]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/2014/09/08/football-rewind-valley-christian-coach-not-entirely-satisfied-despite-55-0-victory/feed/4ssjm1202ccsfbdivthree05Football: Sacred Heart Prep’s Ben Burr-Kirven, Valley Christian’s Kirk Johnson chosen first-team preseason all-statehttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/2014/08/27/football-sacred-heart-preps-ben-burr-kirven-valley-christians-kirk-johnson-chosen-first-team-preseason-all-state/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/2014/08/27/football-sacred-heart-preps-ben-burr-kirven-valley-christians-kirk-johnson-chosen-first-team-preseason-all-state/#commentsWed, 27 Aug 2014 13:32:00 +0000Darren Sabedrahttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/?p=7007
Sacred Heart Prep linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven, the 2013 Mercury News player of the year, and Valley Christian multi-purpose threat Kirk Johnson were named to Cal-Hi Sports’ preseason all-state first team. Burr-Kirven, a hard-hitting linebacker and running back, led Sacred Heart… Continue Reading →]]>Sacred Heart Prep linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven, the 2013 Mercury News player of the year, and Valley Christian multi-purpose threat Kirk Johnson were named to Cal-Hi Sports' preseason all-state first team.
Burr-Kirven, a hard-hitting linebacker and running back, led Sacred Heart Prep to a stunning 42-7 victory over El Cerrito in the Northern California Division III regional championship game last season, rushing for 163 yards and four touchdowns in 15 carries and leading the defense with 17 tackles.
He also had 16 tackles and a 47-yard touchdown run in a 27-15 loss to Corona del Mar in the Division III state title game.
Burr-Kirven, a senior this fall, has college offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Boise State, Harvard, Northwestern, Princeton and Utah, according to Rivals.com.
Johnson, an electrifying runner, is coming off an injury-plagued junior season in which he still rushed for 1,228 yards and scored 11 TDs. As a sophomore, he ran for 1,469 yards.
Johnson has committed to Texas, where his father, Johnnie, was a star thee decades ago, as has his younger brother, Collin, a junior wide receiver at Valley Christian this season.
Other locals on the all-state preseason team:
Serra OL Jack Dreyer, third-team offense
Archbishop Mitty RB Dakari Monroe, third-team offense
St. Francis DL Thomas Toki, third-team defense
Christopher LB Jacob Moen, third-team defense
To view the entire team, go here.
*********
Look for us on Twitter
If you have not already, please follow us on Twitter to get updates and retweets from around the CCS.
Here are our handles:
@DarrenSabedra@GReeves23@MercPreps
*********
‘Like’ us on Facebook
Here is the link to the Mercury News high school sports page on Facebook. Please “like” us and share our content.]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/2014/08/27/football-sacred-heart-preps-ben-burr-kirven-valley-christians-kirk-johnson-chosen-first-team-preseason-all-state/feed/0ssjm1215shp06-LSaturday morning football recap: It was Blowout Friday in the CCShttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/2013/11/30/saturday-morning-football-recap-it-was-blowout-friday-in-the-ccs/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/2013/11/30/saturday-morning-football-recap-it-was-blowout-friday-in-the-ccs/#commentsSat, 30 Nov 2013 16:50:05 +0000Darren Sabedrahttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/?p=5975
– Well, that wasn’t what most expected. – After playing a tight game in October, Archbishop Mitty and Valley Christian were expected to fill Independence High with drama in their Central Coast Section Open Division semifinal showdown Friday night. –… Continue Reading →]]>-- Well, that wasn't what most expected.
-- After playing a tight game in October, Archbishop Mitty and Valley Christian were expected to fill Independence High with drama in their Central Coast Section Open Division semifinal showdown Friday night.
-- Instead, there were a lot of turnovers (Valley Christian) and big plays (Mitty's Dakari Monroe).
-- Mitty led by three touchdowns after one quarter, four touchdowns at halftime and 37-7 when the fourth-quarter clock hit zero.
-- Turns out, the 30-point win for Mitty wasn't even the biggest blowout of the night.
-- Wow, were the scores ugly throughout the Central Coast Section playoffs.
-- The closest game?
-- Aptos' 42-24 win over Willow Glen in Division III.
-- By my calculation, the winning teams in the seven CCS games Friday outscored the losing squads by a combined 190 points -- an average of 27 points per game.
-- It was if the losing teams stuffed themselves with too much Turkey Day fun while the winners saved their feast for the game.
-- One game actually produced more points than San Jose State-Fresno State's combined 114 on Friday.
-- In Monterey County, Pacific Grove upended previously unbeaten Carmel 77-53.
-- And here I thought San Jose State 62, Fresno State 52 was the basketball score of a football game Friday.
-- At Independence, Valley Christian looked as it was going to get back in the game late in the first quarter.
-- But trailing 14-0 and on the doorstep of the end zone, Monroe forced a fumble, picked up the ball and ran behind linebacker Erik Sargis, who earlier had made a touchdown-saving tackle.
-- Instead of 14-7, it was 21-0. The rout was on.
ReactionMonroe on his fumble return TD: ""I just picked it up, and Erik Sargis led me all the way to the end zone," Monroe said. "We always preach that in our defensive film. It felt good to make a big play when it was needed."
Mitty quarterback Trenton Scharrenberg on his 49-yard TD pass to Monroe three plays into the game: "It's always get great when a team can get off to a strong start. That's what we always emphasize and try to get done. I saw Dakari open on the seam, I threw it up and he made a great play like he always does."
Valley Christian's Tre McCloud on his 71-yard TD run that made it 28-7 early in the third quarter: "I thought it would be a big boost for us. But it just wasn't enough."
Los Gatos coach Mark Krail on Joey Wood's 200-yard performance in a rout of Menlo-Atherton: "Joey Wood is pretty darn good. He's the best back I'm coaching right now. We're going to keep giving him the ball. He's a heck of a physical runner."
Krail on holding M-A standout Isaiah Nash to 40 yards in 13 carries: "We talked all week about putting hats on Nash. We wanted to put bodies on him. He's a good back. He didn't have any big runs and that was our mission. Make him grind out every inch. Our defense played great. They played physical."
St. Francis running back Alex Andrighetto on his return Friday from a shoulder injury as he helped the Lancers top Palo Alto: "I've played tackle football since I was 6 years old, so to be told by the doctor I couldn't play on the field with my guys, it's the most heartbreaking thing for me. I owe it all to them. They kept me in it, they kept me wanting to come back out. And when I did come back out, it was fun. It was worth it."
Milpitas free safety David Kruskamp on keeping high-powered Piedmont Hills out of the end zone: "It was lockdown. We knew they were going to throw the ball a lot, and we wanted to get as many picks as possible. Having a five-(defensive back) look really helped us stop their speed down low."
Piedmont Hills coach Matt Kiesle on Milpitas RB Squally Canada's big night: "He's a hard guy to tackle. There were times when we got in situations where we had to tackle him one-on-one, which is very hard to do — that's why he'd get 10 or 15 yards against us instead of three."
Burlingame coach John Philipopoulos on his previously unbeaten team losing to St. Ignatius (4-8) in Division III semifinal: "No question, they're bigger, faster, stronger and more diverse offensively and defensively than any team we've faced this year. But the kids weren't intimidated, they didn't back down. We welcomed the challenge. When SI wakes up tomorrow, they'll know they were in a game."
Friday scoreboardOpen Division
Archbishop Mitty 37, Valley Christian 7
Division I
Milpitas 45, Piedmont Hills 0
Division II
St. Francis 45, Palo Alto 21
Los Gatos 35, Menlo-Atherton 6
Division III
St. Ignatius 41, Burlingame 21
Aptos 42, Willow Glen 24
Division IV
Pacific Grove 77, Carmel 53
Saturday scheduleOpen Division
No. 6 Bellarmine College Prep (8-3) vs. No. 2 Serra (9-2) at Independence High, 7 p.m.
Division I
No. 4 San Benito (6-5) at No. 1 Alvarez (11-0), 7 p.m.
Division IV
No. 5 Monterey (8-3) at No. 1 Sacred Heart Prep (10-1), 1 p.m.
*********
Photo captions
(Top photo) Archbishop Mitty's Dakari Monroe (1) scores on a 49-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter of a Central Coast Section Open Division semifinal football game at Independence High on Friday night (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
(Bottom photo) Archbishop Mitty's Dakari Monroe scoops up a Valley Christian fumble and returns it for a 96-yard touchdown in the first quarter of a Central Coast Section Open Division semifinal Independence High on Friday night (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
*********
Look for us on Twitter
If you have not already, please follow us on Twitter to get updates and retweets from around the CCS.
Here are our handles:
@DarrenSabedra@GReeves23@MercPrep
*********
‘Like’ us on Facebook
Here is the link to the Mercury News high school sports page on Facebook. Please “like” us and share our content.]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/2013/11/30/saturday-morning-football-recap-it-was-blowout-friday-in-the-ccs/feed/1ssjm1130ccsopen01-Lssjm1130ccsopen04-LSaturday morning football recap: Huge, huge, huge night for WCALhttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/2013/11/23/saturday-morning-football-recap-huge-huge-huge-night-for-wcal/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/2013/11/23/saturday-morning-football-recap-huge-huge-huge-night-for-wcal/#commentsSat, 23 Nov 2013 17:04:06 +0000Darren Sabedrahttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/?p=5931
– Hard to argue that Wilcox and Terra Nova had specials teams and special seasons this fall. – One loss between them going into the opening round of the Central Coast Section Open Division playoffs. – But against teams Friday… Continue Reading →]]>-- Hard to argue that Wilcox and Terra Nova had specials teams and special seasons this fall.
-- One loss between them going into the opening round of the Central Coast Section Open Division playoffs.
-- But against teams Friday night from the section’s best league -- by about a trillion miles, if not more -- these two public schools watched their specials seasons come to a crashing halt.
-- Wilcox’s crash wasn’t as gruesome as Terra Nova’s, but it was a crash nonetheless.
-- For the second year in a row, the Open Division semifinals will be a West Catholic Athletic League jamboree as Bellarmine held off Wilcox, Valley Christian overpowered previously unbeaten Terra Nova and Archbishop Mitty rolled past Palma.
-- Saturday, Serra of the WCAL is a heavy, heavy, heavy favorite to beat a Pioneer team that would have been seeded eighth -- and therefore would have faced Terra Nova on Friday -- had the CCS bylaws allowed league opponents to play each other in the opening round.
-- Oh well.
-- Valley Christian, a physically strong and talented team at the line of scrimmage, completely shut down the high-powered Terra Nova scoring machine.
-- Bellarmine, the most inconsistent of the WCAL’s four Open Division participants this season, stormed to a two-touchdown lead against Wilcox before even yielding a first down.
-- But to Wilcox’s credit, it showed a lot of resiliency.
-- I didn’t have enough space in my game story to cover all the details, but let’s just say Wilcox had a chance to win in the second half.
-- The Chargers trailed only 17-13 and had a first down at the Bellarmine 13 to start the fourth quarter.
-- Their size (Wilcox is a huge team) was starting to take a toll on the smaller Bells.
-- But the golden opportunity resulted in zero points.
-- Wilcox fumbled the ball back to Bellarmine, and the Bells eventually widened the lead back to double digits.
-- Bellarmine did so with a well-executed Bellarmine-type play.
-- Quarterback K.J. Carta-Samuels and one running back went right -- as did most of the Wilcox defense -- and Carta-Samuels slyly handed the ball to diminutive Amani Bryan, who went left.
-- Bryan had nothing but green -- and patches of dead -- grass in front of him.
-- The 63-yard touchdown run made it 24-13.
-- But again to Wilcox’s credit, the Chargers kept fighting.
-- After a Bellarmine turnover that would have put the game out of reach, the Chargers drove for another touchdown that brought them to within five points with four minutes left.
-- Wilcox got the ball back with a little less than two minutes to go and 80 or so yards from the winning touchdown.
-- It wasn’t to be, though, for the Chargers
-- For the second week in a row, AJ Forchette intercepted a pass at crunch time and returned it for a pick-six.
-- Last week’s against Riordan clinched Bellarmine’s spot in the Open Division playoffs.
-- This week’s sent the Bells to the Open Division semifinals.
ReactionBryan on his touchdown run: “I was just pretty much looking for a hole, and I saw one. I saw the safety go the other way, and I just broke for it. I just followed one of my linemen. I saw him going and just waited for his block, and looked for what I could get. It felt good. ”
Forchette on his interception: “I was thinking we’ve got to get the ball. We’ve got to make a turnover. I saw the ball. He missed his receiver completely, and I made a play on it.”
Bellarmine coach Mike Janda on the victory: “We did start fast. But you’ve got to give Wilcox credit. They came back fast, too, and made it a heck of a game all the way to the end. We fortunately made a couple of plays at the end that put us over the top. II have total respect for those Wilcox Chargers. They played hard the whole ballgame.”
Wilcox coach Dan Brown on the loss: “We didn't get going until the second quarter. Basically after that it was toe-to-toe. I felt good going in. We just didn't start crisp. We got behind, and they made a couple of big plays. Got back in it. Wish we had got that field goal right before half. It could have been a 17-10 ballgame. It just got away from us in the end.”
Sidenote: Brown was gracious and classy in defeat. Tough loss for the Chargers, but Brown was there waiting for me to get a quick reaction right after going through the postgame handshake line. I know it was a terribly hard loss, but Brown was there to provide the Merc’s readers with his thoughts.
Elsehwere
-- We don’t normally pick athletes of the week from the same school in the same sport in consecutive weeks.
-- We still might not next week, given there are still more games to be played in football and water polo this weekend.
-- But, my goodness, did Los Gatos’ Joey Wood have a heck of a game Friday.
-- One week after his teammate, Corey Olivet, accounted for five TDs in a huge win over Milpitas -- Olivet was the Merc's AOW -- Wood scored seven touchdowns and rushed for more than 300 yards in an opening-round Division II win over North Salinas.
-- St. Ignatius, the most controversial team in the CCS field, is still alive and looking like the favorite to win the Division III championship.
-- Heck, S.I. almost beat Valley Christian last Saturday.
-- With its opening-round win over Christopher, the reigning Open Division champions now are position to give the WCAL another D-III championship.
-- Next week, St. Ignatius, as Valley Christian and Bellarmine did Friday, will probably end another public school’s dream season -- Burlingame, the top seed in DIII, is undefeated.
-- I really like the semifinal matchups in Division II.
-- Los Gatos gets a chance to avenge an early-season loss to Menlo-Atherton when the Bears travel back to Los Gatos next Friday.
-- On the other side of the bracket, St. Francis, the defending D-II champion, will play host to the winner of Saturday’s game between Palo Alto and Leland.
-- Not a bad semifinal at all.
-- Milpitas bounced back from its tough loss to Los Gatos to rout former SCVAL De Anza Division mate Homestead as Squally Canada had a monster game.
-- Now the Trojans get to face their neighbor, Piedmont Hills, in a D-I semifinal next week.
-- Sidenote II: It’s been about two decades now since the CCS “power” leagues were aligned, and I still don’t understand how Milpitas ended up in the SCVAL even though BVAL members Independence and Piedmont Hills are just a hop, skip and a jump down 680.
CCS scoreboardOpen Division
No. 5 Archbishop Mitty 28, No. 4 Palma 0
No. 8 Valley Christian 26, No. 1 Terra Nova 7
No. 6 Bellarmine 31, No. 3 Wilcox 19
Division I
No. 2 Milpitas 62, No. 7 Homestead 28
No. 1 Alvarez 24, No. 8 Monta Vista 10
No. 4 San Benito 62, No. 5 Independence 21
No. 3 Piedmont Hills 60, No. 6 Salinas 38
Division II
No. 3 Menlo-Atherton 21, No. 6 Oak Grove 7
No. 2 Los Gatos 59, No. 7 North Salinas 34
No. 1 St. Francis 41, No. 8 Andrew Hill 6
Division III
No. 5 St. Ignatius 24, No. 4 Christopher 0
No. 2 Aptos 34, No. 7 Aragon 19
No. 1 Burlingame 31, No. 8 Hillsdale 7
Division IV
No. 3 Carmel 53, No. 6 Scotts Valley 26
No. 7 Pacific Grove 42, No. 2 Live Oak 20
No. 5 Monterey 30, No. 4 Menlo 12
Saturday’s CCS games Open Division
No. 7 Pioneer (7-3) at No. 2 Serra (8-2), 1 p.m.
Division II
No. 5 Palo Alto (5-5) at No. 4 Leland (7-3), 7 p.m.
Division III
No. 6 Willow Glen (5-5) at No. 3 Leigh (8-2), 7 p.m.
Division IV
No. 8 Seaside (5-5) at No. 1 Sacred Heart Prep (9-1), 1 p.m.
*********
Photo caption
Bellarmine College Prep celebrates its 31-19 victory over host Wilcox in a first-round Central Coast Section Open Division playoff football Friday night (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)
*********
Look for us on Twitter
If you have not already, please follow us on Twitter to get updates and retweets from around the CCS.
Here are our handles:
@DarrenSabedra@GReeves23@MercPrep
*********
‘Like’ us on Facebook
Here is the link to the Mercury News high school sports page on Facebook. Please “like” us and share our content.]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/2013/11/23/saturday-morning-football-recap-huge-huge-huge-night-for-wcal/feed/18ssjm1123wilcox17-LFootball Week 12: The new Mercury News Top 15http://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/2013/11/20/football-week-12-the-new-mercury-news-top-15/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/2013/11/20/football-week-12-the-new-mercury-news-top-15/#commentsWed, 20 Nov 2013 17:16:15 +0000Darren Sabedrahttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/?p=5912
Our final regular-season rankings are done. With top-ranked Archbishop Mitty losing last week at No. 3 Serra, there is a new No. 1. There also was movement at the bottom of the rankings as No. 13 Leland, No. 14 Menlo… Continue Reading →]]>Our final regular-season rankings are done.
With top-ranked Archbishop Mitty losing last week at No. 3 Serra, there is a new No. 1.
There also was movement at the bottom of the rankings as No. 13 Leland, No. 14 Menlo and No. 15 Piedmont Hills all lost last week.
Two new teams have entered the rankings.
And how far did Los Gatos jump after its three-touchdown win over last week's No. 6 Milpitas?
The new Mercury News Top 151. Terra Nova (10-0)
Last week’s ranking: 2
Last game: Beat Half Moon Bay 56-0
This week’s game: Friday vs. Valley Christian, 7 p.m.
2. Serra (8-2)
Last week’s ranking: 3
Last game: Beat Archbishop Mitty 31-7
This week’s game: Saturday vs. Pioneer, 1 p.m.
3. Archbishop Mitty (9-1)
Last week’s ranking: 1
Last game: Lost to Serra 31-7
This week’s game: Friday vs. Palma at Rabobank Stadium in Salinas, 7 p.m.
4. Valley Christian (7-3)
Last week’s ranking: 4
Last game: Beat St. Ignatius 10-9
This week’s game: Friday at Terra Nova, 7 p.m.
5. St. Francis (7-3)
Last week’s ranking: 5
Last game: Beat Sacred Heart Cathedral 42-13
This week’s game: Friday vs. Andrew Hill, 7 p.m.
6. Wilcox (9-1)
Last week’s ranking: 7
Last game: Beat Saratoga 47-20
This week’s game: Friday vs. Bellarmine, 7 p.m.
7. Bellarmine (7-3)
Last week’s ranking: 8
Last game: Beat Archbishop Riordan 35-22
This week’s game: Friday at Wilcox, 7 p.m.
8. Sacred Heart Prep (9-1)
Last week’s ranking: 9
Last game: Beat Menlo 10-3
This week’s game: Saturday vs. Seaside, 1 p.m.
9. Burlingame (10-0)
Last week’s ranking: 10
Last game: Beat San Mateo 48-0
This week’s game: Friday vs. Hillsdale, 7 p.m.
10. Los Gatos (7-3)
Last week’s ranking: 12
Last game: Beat Milpitas 55-34
This week’s game: Friday vs. North Salinas, 7 p.m.
11. Milpitas (8-2)
Last week’s ranking: 6
Last game: Lost to Los Gatos 55-34
This week’s game: Friday vs. Homestead, 7 p.m.
12. Menlo-Atherton (7-3)
Last week’s ranking: 11
Last game: Beat Woodside 40-33
This week’s game: Friday vs. Oak Grove, 7 p.m.
13. Pioneer (7-3)
Last week’s ranking: Not ranked
Last game: Beat Piedmont Hills 34-33
This week’s game: Saturday at Serra, 1 p.m.
14. Palo Alto (5-5)
Last week’s ranking: Not ranked
Last game: Beat Santa Clara 48-5
This week’s game: Saturday at Leland, 7 p.m.
15. Leland (7-3)
Last week’s ranking: 13
Last game: Lost to Independence 37-31, 2 OTs
This week’s game: Saturday vs. Palo Alto, 7 p.m.]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/2013/11/20/football-week-12-the-new-mercury-news-top-15/feed/42ssjm1005bellarmine18CCS football playoffs: Serra’s spot in Open Division not guaranteedhttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/2013/11/10/ccs-football-playoffs-serras-spot-in-open-division-not-guaranteed/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/2013/11/10/ccs-football-playoffs-serras-spot-in-open-division-not-guaranteed/#commentsMon, 11 Nov 2013 03:21:02 +0000Darren Sabedrahttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/?p=5764
After much closer inspection, Serra’s game Saturday afternoon at home against Archbishop Mitty is even bigger than we thought. Turns out, Serra’s spot in the Central Coast Section Open Division playoffs — and Wilcox’s, for that matter — might depend on… Continue Reading →]]>After much closer inspection, Serra's game Saturday afternoon at home against Archbishop Mitty is even bigger than we thought.
Turns out, Serra's spot in the Central Coast Section Open Division playoffs -- and Wilcox's, for that matter -- might depend on the outcome.
If Serra wins, it will share the West Catholic Athletic League championship with Mitty and qualify for the Open as the league's automatic qualifier by virtue of the head-to-head win over the Monarchs.
Mitty would then drop to the fifth seed in the Open, behind four of the five league champions that automatically qualify.
Wilcox, assuming it finishes second to Milpitas in the SCVAL De Anza Division, would drop out of the Open and into its natural enrollment division (probably Division II).
If Mitty wins, Serra most likely would fall to its enrollment division because of insufficient power points (incredible, I know), and Wilcox would take the Open's third and final at-large spot behind Bellarmine and Valley Christian.
If that happens, here is how we project the Open:
No. 8 Palma (7-3) at No. 1 Mitty (10-0)
No. 5 Bellarmine (7-3) at No. 4 Leland (8-2)
No. 6 Valley Christian (7-3) at No. 3 Milpitas (9-1)
No. 7 Wilcox (9-1) at No. 2 Terra Nova (10-0)
How does the above projection become reality:
Milpitas defeats Los Gatos
Wilcox defeats Saratoga
Bellarmine defeats Riordan
Valley Christian defeats St. Ignatius
Leland defeats Independence
Terra Nova defeats Half Moon Bay
And then ...
Mitty defeats Serra
Though Serra beat Bellarmine and Valley Christian quite decisively, it got hurt badly because none of its nonleague opponents won a league championship, which would have given the Padres more power points. (De La Salle is an independent, therefore did not win a league.)
But even if the CCS were to recognize DLS as a league champion, which it should, Serra would still fall short of passing Bellarmine, Valley Christian and Wilcox in the points column if those three win this weekend.
All three of Bellarmine's nonleague opponents have won or are on pace to win at least a share of a league title, and two of Valley Christian's nonleague opponents won or are on pace to win a league championship.
I took screen shots of the CCS bylaws page that explain how points are awarded (click on the photos here or take a look at the link to the CCS bylaws page yourself).
We also broke down the points for the Open contenders, using the CCS formula and projected results above. Here is that breakdown:MITTY

2.5 points for winning an A league
Status: Open AQ as a league champion
Total points: 31
LELAND
San Jose B
Mitty A+LC
Soquel B
OG A
PH A
Sobrato A
Pioneer A
WG A
ST A
Indy A
Record: 8-2 (if it beats Independence)
16 points for wins (8 x 2)

7 points for playing A opponents (1 x 7)

1.5 points for playing A+ opponent (1.5 x 1)

1 point for playing B opponent (0.5 x 2)

1 points for playing a league champion (Mitty)
1.25 points for being a co-A league champion
Status: Open AQ as a league champion
Total points: 27.75
BELLARMINE

El Cerrito A/LC

San Leandro B/LC

PH A/CLC

Serra A+

SF A+

SI A+

VC A+

SHC A+

Mitty A+

Riordan A+

Record: 7-3 (if it beats Riordan)

14 points for wins (7 x 2)

10.5 points for playing A+ opponents (1.5 x 7)

2 points for playing A opponents (1 x 2)

0.5 points for playing B opponent (0.5 x 1)

3.5 points for playing league or co-league champions (El Cerrito, San Leandro, Piedmont Hills-co, WCAL)

Status: Open at-large

Total points: 30.5

VALLEY CHRISTIAN

Vacaville A-LC

O'Dowd C

Milpitas A-LC

SHC A+

Mitty A+

Serra A+

Bell A+

Riordan A+

SF A+

SI A+

Record: 7-3 (if it beats St. Ignatius)

14 points for wins (7 x 2)

10.5 points for playing A+ opponents (1.5 x 7)

2 points for playing A opponents (1 x 2)

3 points for playing league champions (Vacaville, Milpitas, WCAL)

Status: Open at-large

Total points: 29.5

WILCOX
Manteca A-LC
Half Moon Bay B
Seaside A
Milpitas A
Paly A
Fremont A
MtnView A
LG A
Santa Clara A
Saratoga A
Record: 9-1 (if it beats Saratoga)

18 points for wins (9 x 2)

9 points for playing A opponents (1 x 9)

0.5 points for playing B opponents (0.5 x 1)

2 points for playing league champions (Manteca, Milpitas)

Status: Open Division bubble (needs help)

Total points: 29.5

PALMA
Carmel C-LC
St. Francis A+
St. Joes-Santa Maria A
Paly A
Monterey A
Seaside A
Alisal A
Salinas A
MVC A
San Benito A
Record: 7-3 (if it beats San Benito)
14 points for wins (7 x 2)

*********
Look for us on Twitter
If you have not already, please follow us on Twitter to get updates and retweets from around the CCS.
Here are our handles:
@DarrenSabedra@GReeves23@MercPrep
*********
‘Like’ us on Facebook
Here is the link to the Mercury News high school sports page on Facebook. Please “like” us and share our content.]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/2013/11/10/ccs-football-playoffs-serras-spot-in-open-division-not-guaranteed/feed/71One_0196.JPGTwo_0195.JPGFootball preview: Week 10 games to keep an eye onhttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/2013/11/07/football-preview-week-10-games-to-keep-an-eye-on/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/2013/11/07/football-preview-week-10-games-to-keep-an-eye-on/#commentsFri, 08 Nov 2013 00:11:10 +0000Darren Sabedrahttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/?p=5744
The 10th week of the high school football season provides an incredible menu of games between teams ranked in the Mercury News Top 15 — No. 1 Mitty vs. No. 6 Bellarmine, No. 2 Terra Nova vs. No. 7 Sacred… Continue Reading →]]>The 10th week of the high school football season provides an incredible menu of games between teams ranked in the Mercury News Top 15 -- No. 1 Mitty vs. No. 6 Bellarmine, No. 2 Terra Nova vs. No. 7 Sacred Heart Prep, No. 3 St. Francis vs. No. 5 Valley Christian.
I can't recall a time since I returned to the prep scene last year that the schedule looked so good.
And those aren't the only matchups between ranked teams.
We also have No. 10 Menlo vs. No. 12 Menlo-Atherton and No. 13 Palo Alto vs. No. 14 Los Gatos.
For a closer look at the top games, plus the full weekend schedule, click here:
FridayArchbishop Mitty (8-0, 5-0) vs. Bellarmine College Prep (6-2, 3-2) at San Jose City College, 7 p.m.: For the first time this season, Mitty will step onto the field as the Mercury News’ top-ranked team. The Monarchs moved to the top this week after Serra, which grabbed No. 1 from Bellarmine College Prep in early October, lost to St. Francis. No matter what happens in this game, Mitty will play for the WCAL championship a week from Saturday at Serra. Bellarmine, meanwhile, is fighting to receive an at-large berth in the CCS’s Open Division playoffs. If this game is anything like last season’s between the teams, it could go down to the final snaps. The Monarchs held the lead for much of the game last year against Bellarmine, but a long touchdown pass by K.J. Carta-Samuels in the closing minutes propelled the Bells to victory. Safe to assume Mitty has not forgotten that outcome.
-- Darren Sabedra

Terra Nova (8-0, 4-0) at Sacred Heart Prep (8-0, 3-0), 2:45 p.m.: A classic matchup: Two undefeated teams going at it with a league championship and berth in the CCS Open Division playoffs at stake. An offense averaging 46 points per game (Terra Nova) against a defense allowing 5.5 points per game (Sacred Heart Prep). Terra Nova has defeated SHP in each of the last four years and has represented the PAL in the Open playoffs in each of the last two years. Anthony Gordon has completed 70 percent of his passes for 2,507 yards with 22 touchdowns. John Wallace was having a great year at running back, rushing for 1,139 yards, 18 touchdowns and averaging 9.0 yards a carry. But Wallace left last week's game against Menlo-Atherton with an injury and is not expected to play against the Gators. Matt Sese rushed for 78 yards on seven carries and scored two touchdowns after replacing Wallace. Sacred Heart Prep will try to control the clock with its running game. Ricky Grau has rushed for 717 yards and 10 touchdowns, Andrew Segre for 537 yards and eight TDs. Sophomore QB Mason Randall has improved as the season unfolded, completed 67 percent of his passes with nine TDs and two interceptions.

-- Glenn Reeves

St. Francis (6-2, 3-2) at Valley Christian (5-3, 3-2), 7:30 p.m.: The loser of this game might end up fifth in the WCAL, which is kind of like being third in college football’s BCS -- in this case, no Open Division playoffs. Both teams come into the game with momentum -- Valley Christian having won its past two games, including a 31-13 win over Bellarmine two weeks ago, and St. Francis having stunned Serra 41-34 last week. The game will match the defensive wits of coordinators Eric (VC) and Matt (SF) Scharrenberg, who happen to be brothers. Both could have their hands full as Valley Christian’s offense has come back to life with the return two weeks ago of running back Kirk Johnson and St. Francis just punched a pretty good hole in Serra’s defense.
-- Darren Sabedra

Menlo School (6-2, 2-1) at Menlo-Atherton (5-3, 2-2), 7 p.m.: In this battle of the Menlos, the No. 10 ranked Knights of Menlo School need a win to keep their hopes of sharing the PAL Bay crown alive. Despite the similarity in name and close geographical proximity, these teams don't play often. The last time was 2008, when Menlo-Atherton won 31-13. Menlo School QB Jack Heneghan has thrown 35 touchdown passes and is on pace to set a new CCS season record. Peter Bouret is his top target with 54 catches for 621 yards and nine TDs. No. 12 Menlo-Atherton is smarting after a 57-27 loss at Terra Nova and would like nothing better than to salve its wounds with a win against its crosstown rival. Top offensive threat Isiah Nash returned to action against Terra Nova after missing the previous game. He has 874 yards rushing on the season with 10 touchdowns.

-- Glenn Reeves

Los Gatos (5-3, 4-1) at Palo Alto (4-4, 3-2), 7:30 p.m.: Was the SCVAL’s De Anza Division a Big Four or a Big Three this season? This game will provide answers. Palo Alto fell out of division title contention after heart-breaking losses to Wilcox and Milpitas. Los Gatos remains in contention but, given its 42-7 loss at home to Wilcox last week, might have a better chance to finish fourth than first. Los Gatos closes the regular season next week at home against Milpitas, which is the only De Anza team without a league loss. Palo Alto has four losses but three of the losses -- Wilcox, Milpitas and Palma -- were all close.
-- Darren Sabedra

Woodside (3-5, 3-1) at Burlingame (8-0, 3-0), 7 p.m.: The PAL Ocean title is at stake in this one. Burlingame has had an incredible season, scoring 373 points and allowing only 49. The Panthers have four shutouts and have scored 41 or more in seven of eight games. They are averaging 268 yards rushing per game and 7.5 yards per carry. QB Avery Gindraux has only completed 33 passes, but 12 have gone for touchdowns. Woodside seems to have benefited from a tough non-league schedule, scoring 142 points in three PAL Ocean wins. David Teu has rushed for 661 yards and scored 10 touchdowns. Josh Holman has scored 12 touchdowns -- five receiving, two rushing, four on kick returns and one on a fumble recovery.

-- Glenn Reeves

The King's Academy (4-4, 2-1) at Hillsdale (6-2, 4-0), 2:45 p.m.: The PAL Lake title and automatic CCS playoff berth most likely goes to the winner of this game. Hillsdale, with its balanced offensive approach featuring the passing of Cole Carrithers and the running of Giancarlo Boscacci, has passed tests posed by divisional showdowns against El Camino and Mills. TKA junior QB Dominic Sabel has thrown 14 touchdown passes. Derek Friske, a 6-foot-4 junior, is the leading receiver with 31 catches for 588 yards and six touchdowns.
-- Glenn Reeves
SaturdayLeland (6-2, 4-1) at Santa Teresa (3-5, 1-4), 1:45 p.m.: Leland gave itself no margin for error after losing at home to Willow Glen last week. Had the Chargers won, they could have clinched the BVAL Mount Hamilton Division title and a spot in the Open Division this week. Instead, they have to win this week and next week at Independence to ensure they win a tiebreaker for the division title with Piedmont Hills or Pioneer.
-- Darren Sabedra
Friday's scheduleWest Catholic
Archbishop Mitty vs. Bellarmine College Prep at San Jose City, 7 p.m.
St. Ignatius vs. Sacred Heart Cathedral at Kezar Stadium, 7 p.m.
St. Francis at Valley Christian, 7:30 p.m.
BVAL (Mt. Hamilton)
Pioneer at Oak Grove, 7 p.m.
Sobrato vs. Independence at Live Oak, 6 p.m.
Willow Glen at Piedmont Hills, 7 p.m.
BVAL (Santa Teresa)
Evergreen Valley at San Jose, 7 p.m.
Live Oak at Gunderson, 7 p.m.
Westmont at Leigh, 7 p.m.
BVAL (West Valley)
Hill at Lick, 7 p.m.
Mt. Pleasant at Prospect, 7 p.m.
Overfelt at Del Mar, 7 p.m.
Yerba Buena at Branham, 7 p.m.
SCVAL (De Anza)
Los Gatos at Palo Alto, 7:30 p.m.
Mountain View at Milpitas, 7:30 p.m.
Saratoga at Fremont, 7:30 p.m.
Wilcox at Santa Clara, 7:15 p.m.
SCVAL (El Camino)
Homestead at Cupertino, 7:30 p.m.
Los Altos at Lynbrook, 7:30 p.m.
PAL (Bay)
Menlo at Menlo-Atherton, 7 p.m.
South San Francisco at Sequoia, 7 p.m.
Terra Nova at Sacred Heart Prep, 2:45 p.m.
PAL (Ocean)
Half Moon Bay at Capuchino, 2:45 p.m.
San Mateo at Aragon, 7 p.m.
Woodside at Burlingame, 7 p.m.
PAL (Lake)
Jefferson at El Camino, 2:45 p.m.
King’s Academy at Hillsdale), 3 p.m.
Mills at Carlmont, 7 p.m.
Monterey Bay (Pacific)
Christopher at Gilroy, 7:30 p.m.
Non-league
Aptos at Gunn, 7:30 p.m.
SaturdayWest Catholic
Serra at Archbishop Riordan, 1 p.m.
BVAL (Mt. Hamilton)
Leland at Santa Teresa, 1:45 p.m.
BVAL (Santa Teresa)
Lincoln at Silver Creek, 1:30 p.m.
*********
Photo caption
Bellarmine quarterback K.J. Carta-Samuels (10) can move the Bells a step closer to the CCS Open Division playoffs with a victory Friday against top-ranked Archbishop Mitty. (Jim Gensheimer/staff)
*********
Look for us on Twitter
If you have not already, please follow us on Twitter to get updates and retweets from around the CCS.
Here are our handles:
@DarrenSabedra@GReeves23@MercPrep
*********
‘Like’ us on Facebook
Here is the link to the Mercury News high school sports page on Facebook. Please “like” us and share our content.]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/2013/11/07/football-preview-week-10-games-to-keep-an-eye-on/feed/0ssjm0921bellarmine18Football Week 10: The new Mercury News Top 15http://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/2013/11/06/football-week-10-the-new-mercury-news-top-15/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/2013/11/06/football-week-10-the-new-mercury-news-top-15/#commentsThu, 07 Nov 2013 01:26:35 +0000Darren Sabedrahttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/?p=5729
Just off the Mercury News high school webpage: With its victory over Serra, St. Francis certainly muddled this week’s Mercury News football rankings. Serra entered last week’s game ranked No. 1, St. Francis seventh. In between, we had Archbishop Mitty… Continue Reading →]]>Just off the Mercury News high school webpage:
With its victory over Serra, St. Francis certainly muddled this week’s Mercury News football rankings.
Serra entered last week’s game ranked No. 1, St. Francis seventh. In between, we had Archbishop Mitty at No. 2, Terra Nova at No. 3, Valley Christian at No. 4, Bellarmine College Prep at No. 5 and Sacred Heart Prep at No. 6.
We rank teams based largely on resumes, making it possible that one team’s resume can surpass another team’s from week to week.
Such is the case with St. Francis. Before its win over Serra, St. Francis had a solid resume but lacked a significant victory. That changed when the Lancers defeated Serra 41-34. Suddenly, St. Francis (6-2) had a resume deserving of a significant jump.
How significant? Well, the Lancers did not leap Mitty (8-0), which moved to No. 1, or high-powered Terra Nova (8-0), which moved to No. 2.
But we put them ...
third based on these factors: The victory over Serra, which fell this week to No. 4, and close losses to Bellarmine (21-14) and Mitty (14-13).
Valley Christian (5-3) slipped from fourth to fifth because its resume no longer is stronger than St. Francis’ resume. Valley beat Bellarmine (31-13) but lost to Serra (28-7), Mitty (14-13) and Vacaville (20-17).
Bellarmine (6-2), which slid from fifth to sixth, beat St. Francis but also lost by double digits to Serra (17-7) and Valley Christian.
Sacred Heart Prep improved to 8-0 last week but fell from sixth to seventh. The Gators’ schedule factored into their ranking — two nonleague games against “C” league opponents and one against a “B” league team.
And if you think Terra Nova — the only non-West Catholic Athletic League school ranked in the top six — is too high at No. 2, consider this: St. Ignatius has played Mitty, Terra Nova, St. Francis, Serra and Bellarmine. The Wildcats lost to Mitty by 18, Terra Nova by 17, St. Francis by eight, Serra by seven and Bellarmine by 14.
For the rest of the column, click here.
The new Mercury News Top 151. Archbishop Mitty (8-0)
Last week’s ranking: 2
Last game: Beat St. Ignatius 34-16
This week: Friday vs. Bellarmine at SJCC, 7 p.m.
2. Terra Nova (8-0)
Last week’s ranking: 3
Last game: Beat Menlo-Atherton 57-27
This week: Friday at Sacred Heart Prep, 2:45 p.m.
3. St. Francis (6-2)
Last week’s ranking: 7
Last game: Beat Serra 41-34
This week: Friday at Valley Christian, 7:30 p.m.
4. Serra (6-2)
Last week’s ranking: 1
Last game: Lost to St. Francis 41-34
This week: Saturday at Archbishop Riordan, 1 p.m.
5. Valley Christian (5-3)
Last week’s ranking: 4
Last game: Beat Archbishop Riordan 47-13
This week: Friday vs. St. Francis, 7:30 p.m.
6. Bellarmine (6-2)
Last week’s ranking: 5
Last game: Beat Sacred Heart Cathedral 34-7
This week: Friday vs. Archbishop Mitty at SJCC, 7 p.m.
7. Sacred Heart Prep (8-0)
Last week’s ranking: 6
Last game: Beat Sequoia 33-3
This week: Friday vs. Terra Nova, 2:45 p.m.
8. Milpitas (7-1)
Last week’s ranking: 8
Last game: Beat Fremont 56-0
This week: Friday vs. Mountain View, 7:30 p.m.
9. Wilcox (7-1)
Last week’s ranking: 9
Last game: Beat Los Gatos 42-7
This week: Friday at Santa Clara, 7:15 p.m.
10. Menlo (6-2)
Last week’s ranking: 13
Last game: Beat South San Francisco 48-22
This week: Friday at Menlo-Atherton, 7 p.m.
11. Burlingame (8-0)
Last week’s ranking: 14
Last game: Beat Capuchino 41-0
This week: Friday vs. Woodside, 7 p.m.
12. Menlo-Atherton (5-3)
Last week’s ranking: 10
Last game: Lost to Terra Nova 57-27
This week: Friday vs. Menlo, 7 p.m.
13. Palo Alto (4-4)
Last week’s ranking: Not ranked
Last game: Beat Mountain View 41-0
This week: Friday vs. Los Gatos, 7:30 p.m.
14. Los Gatos (5-3)
Last week’s ranking: 11
Last game: Lost to Wilcox 42-7
This week: Friday at Palo Alto, 7:30 p.m.
15. Leland (6-2)
Last week’s ranking: 12
Last game: Lost to Willow Glen 35-17
This week: Saturday at Santa Teresa, 1:45 p.m.
*********
Photo caption
Mitty's Chandler Ramirez runs against Palo Alto in September. (Jim Gensheimer/staff)
*********
Look for us on Twitter
If you have not already, please follow us on Twitter to get updates and retweets from around the CCS.
Here are our handles:
@DarrenSabedra@GReeves23@MercPrep
*********
‘Like’ us on Facebook
Here is the link to the Mercury News high school sports page on Facebook. Please “like” us and share our content.]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/2013/11/06/football-week-10-the-new-mercury-news-top-15/feed/39ssjm0922prepfbrdp01Saturday morning football recap: The Block Heard ‘Round the Valley and much, much morehttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/2013/10/26/saturday-morning-football-recap-the-block-heard-round-the-valley-and-much-much-more/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/2013/10/26/saturday-morning-football-recap-the-block-heard-round-the-valley-and-much-much-more/#commentsSat, 26 Oct 2013 14:57:07 +0000Darren Sabedrahttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/?p=5649
– As a sportswriter, no matter the sport or level of competition, you always hope there is at least one game in any given season that’ll leave an unforgettable impression. – When I covered the A’s, I’ll never forget the… Continue Reading →]]>

-- As a sportswriter, no matter the sport or level of competition, you always hope there is at least one game in any given season that’ll leave an unforgettable impression.

-- When I covered the A’s, I’ll never forget the Jeremy Giambi non-slide playoff game against the Yankees.

-- When I covered the Raiders, I can still see big, bad Tony Siragusa landing on Rich Gannon’s shoulder in the AFC championship game.
-- When I covered colleges, I’ll never forget standing on the sideline at the L.A. Coliseum in the final minutes as 40-point underdog Stanford stunned mighty USC in football or 16th-seeded Harvard bouncing top-seeded Stanford out of the women’s hoops tournament.
-- On the preps beat, there have been memorable moments, too, and Friday night ranks right up there with the best of them.
-- Archbishop Mitty and St. Francis played one heck of a football game.
-- It didn’t start out that way. Mitty dominated the first half, holding St. Francis to 28 total yards, but the Monarchs led by only 10 points.
-- Still, it looked as if that lead would widen as Mitty cruised down the field on its opening series of the second half.
-- But a turnover and Devin Hurtado’s two big runs turned around the game and ultimately ignited an incredible, dramatic finish.
-- For Mitty, it had to feel like the Bellarmine game last season all over again.
-- In that one, the Monarchs dominated the first half but didn’t deliver the knockout punch. In the end, it cost them dearly as Bellarmine scored a late touchdown to pull off a stunning win.
-- This time, St. Francis kicker Patrick Fordham was set to be the hero.
-- The guy has a powerful leg, too, having kicked two impressive field goals earlier in the game.
-- The 36-yarder Fordham lined up to kick with two seconds left seemed very makeable until 265-pound Daniel Mendoza bulldozed through the middle of the line straight for Fordham’s leg.
-- Mendoza smothered the kick, and Mitty remained unbeaten with an amazing 13-12 win.
-- For video of Mendoza's block, click here.
Reaction:
-- Mendoza: "I was thinking, 'Oh man, this is my time to shine. This is my time to give a little something to my team.’ I have no words. It was amazing."
-- Mitty safety Drew Mount: “We executed the block. It’s the greatest feeling ever. It’s the best night of my life.”
-- Mitty coach Matt Haniger: “I thought both teams responded to some adversity both ways. I’m proud of the way we responded. I thought our defense was tough all night long.”
-- Haniger on the block: “Daniel’s been a rock for us the last three years.”
-- St. Francis coach Greg Calcagno on what he told his heartbroken players: “I tell ‘em we’ve got a lot of season left. We’ve got another tough one next week, so we don’t have a lot of time to feel sorry for ourselves. I was proud of the way they competed, but those are games we have to try to win.”
-- St. Francis, which also lost a gut-wrencher against Bellarmine this season, plays host to top-ranked Serra next Friday.
Elsewhere
-- Welcome back, Kirk Johnson.
-- With Johnson back from an ankle injury, Valley Christian rushed for 330 yards to roll past Bellarmine 31-13 and pull even with the Bells and St. Francis for third place in the WCAL standings with 2-2 records.
-- Johnson, who rushed for 189 yards, missed the Serra and Mitty games the previous two weeks.
-- It’s looking like the final high school season for Stanford-bound quarterback Keller Chryst will be remembered for heartbreaking losses.
-- Two weeks after a 42-39 loss to Wilcox, Palo Alto dropped another tough one, 31-28 to Milpitas that all but eliminates the Vikings from the SCVAL De Anza Division race.
-- Milpitas remained unbeaten in De Anza play and has now beaten Wilcox and Palo Alto. But the Trojans still have work to do to win the championship -- i.e. they close the season at Los Gatos on Nov. 15.
-- Los Gatos extended its winning streak to five games Friday with another one-sided victory -- 42-14 over Saratoga -- but now comes the teeth of its schedule: Friday at home against Wilcox, Nov. 8 at Palo Alto and then at home against Milpitas.
-- Leland built a huge lead Friday against Pioneer, then had to hold on to win 33-28 to stay perfect in the BVAL Mount Hamilton Division.
-- With wins now over Oak Grove, Piedmont Hills and Pioneer, the Chargers look to be in prime position to win the title and receive the division’s automatic berth into the CCS Open Division playoffs.
-- When I spoke to Leland coach Jake Shaughnessy late Friday, he wanted no part of that talk.
-- Shaughnessy: “We’re moving forward toward Willow Glen and our senior night. We know we’re going to get everyone’s best shot.”
-- Monta Vista clinched at least a share of the SCVAL El Camino title with a win Friday over Los Altos. The Matadors can wrap up an unbeaten league season next Friday with a win over Gunn, which has not won a league game.

-- Live Oak senior Trevor Bearden, who rushed for 324 yards Friday against Silver Creek, could break the CCS career rushing record next Friday at Lincoln.

-- Bearden needs just 116 yards to eclipse the record of 5,439 yards set by San Mateo's Toke Kefu from 2001-03.

-- The game is meaningful, too, as Live Oak and Lincoln are the only teams in the BVAL Santa Teresa Division with perfect league records.

Archbishop Mitty's Daniel Mendoza (57) saves the Monarchs' 13-12 win over St. Francis, blocking kicker Patrick Fordham's field goal attempt as time expired in a thrilling West Catholic Athletic League football game Friday night in San Jose. (Karl Mondon/staff)

*********

Look for us on Twitter
If you have not already, please follow us on Twitter to get updates and retweets from around the CCS.
Here are our handles:
@DarrenSabedra@GReeves23@MercPreps]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/2013/10/26/saturday-morning-football-recap-the-block-heard-round-the-valley-and-much-much-more/feed/0ssjm1026mitty07ssjm1026mitty10photoFootball preview: Week 8 games to keep an eye onhttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/2013/10/25/football-preview-week-8-games-to-keep-an-eye-on/
http://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/2013/10/25/football-preview-week-8-games-to-keep-an-eye-on/#commentsFri, 25 Oct 2013 16:47:08 +0000Darren Sabedrahttp://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/?p=5642
Week 8 brings us some very intriguing matchups, including four games between teams ranked in the Mercury News Top 15, and a few others will league-title implications. The marquee matchup Friday? If you like defense and physical play, Archbishop Mitty… Continue Reading →]]>Week 8 brings us some very intriguing matchups, including four games between teams ranked in the Mercury News Top 15, and a few others will league-title implications.
The marquee matchup Friday?
If you like defense and physical play, Archbishop Mitty is the place for you.
Mitty is planning to switch to field turf next year, so its game Friday night against rival St. Francis will be the team’s final home game on natural grass.
The Monarchs play all of their “home” games except one at Foothill College, so the night already is special for the players.
“It’s going to be pretty fun,” senior safety Drew Mount said. “For the seniors, it will be our last game so I am going to try to take it all in and make sure I leave everything out on the field, no regrets.”
Earlier Friday, No. 4 Terra Nova visits No. 12 Menlo in a game expected to keep the scoreboard operator busy.
Click here for more details on all the big games:
FridayNo. 5 St. Francis (5-1, 2-1) at No. 2 Archbishop Mitty (6-0, 3-0), 7 p.m.: This game has shaped up to be the matchup of the weekend as the Monarchs put their undefeated record on the line against St. Francis, which plays the top two teams in the Mercury News rankings in its next two games. The matchup Friday features two of the area’s top defenses. St. Francis has five shutouts and has allowed 61 points in its past 10 games dating to last season. Mitty has yielded 69 points this year. St. Francis nose guard Jack Casarez, a captain, credits coordinator Matt Scharrenberg for the Lancers’ strong play on defense. “We have an attitude that we are going to stop teams, we’re going to stop the run, we’re going to force the pass and we’re going to get to the quarterback and make him make bad decisions,” Casarez said. Mitty safety Drew Mount, who has three interceptions this season, said of his team’s defense: “We’re an experienced group. Most of us are seniors, and we just play well as a team. It’s going to be a physical game. But I have full confidence in our D.”
-- Darren Sabedra
No. 7 Valley Christian (3-3, 1-2) vs. No. 3 Bellarmine College Prep (5-1, 2-1) at SJCC, 7 p.m.: For the third consecutive week, Valley Christian is playing a team ranked among the top three in the Mercury News rankings. The Warriors lost at home to No. 2 Archbishop Mitty 14-13 two weeks ago and at No. 1 Serra 28-7 on Saturday. Friday’s game doesn’t figure to be any easier for Valley Christian, which has missed running back Kirk Johnson (ankle) the past two weeks. Asked about Johnson after Saturday’s game, Valley Christian coach Mike Machado said, “It’s week by week, We really don’t know at this point. We wait and see.” Bellarmine rebounded from its only loss this season, 17-7 to Serra on Oct. 4, to beat St. Francis 21-14 and St. Ignatius 42-28 the past two weeks. Vanderbilt-bound quarterback K.J. Carta-Samuels threw for 191 yards and two touchdowns against St. Ignatius, and Anthony Guttadauro has four touchdowns in the past two games, including all three in the Bells’ win against St. Francis.
-- Darren Sabedra
No. 8 Milpitas (5-1, 3-0) at No. 14 Palo Alto (3-3, 2-1), 7:30 p.m.: The SCVAL De Anza Division has its Big Four this season, and these are two of them. Milpitas has already beaten Wilcox, and Palo Alto lost to Wilcox, so the stakes Friday are high for both teams. A Milpitas victory all but eliminates Palo Alto from the De Anza race while allowing Milpitas to keep pace with Los Gatos, which closes against Wilcox, Palo Alto and Milpitas after playing Saratoga on Friday. Milpitas has been impressive since a 48-24 loss to Valley Christian on Sept. 27, beating Wilcox 27-20, Saratoga 54-14 and Santa Clara 46-7. Tre Hartley has caught 11 touchdown passes, and Squally Canada has rushed for seven TDs to lead the Trojans. Palo Alto’s Keller Chryst has thrown for 1,462 yards and 16 touchdowns this year.
-- Darren Sabedra
No. 13 Leland (5-1, 3-0) at Pioneer (4-2, 3-0), 7 p.m.: Leland can take a giant step toward the BVAL Mount Hamilton Division title -- and the division’s automatic berth into the CCS Open Division playoffs -- with a win Friday. But rival Pioneer should be a challenge. Since losing 56-15 at No. 4 Terra Nova on Sept. 20, the Mustangs have won three in a row by an average of 30 points per game. The three teams Pioneer beat during this run -- Willow Glen, Santa Teresa and Independence -- are all Leland has left on its schedule after this week’s game. The Chargers rolled over Oak Grove and Piedmont Hills to open league play, then appeared to have had a letdown last week before pulling away from winless Sobrato 24-6.
-- Darren Sabedra
Silver Creek (3-3, 3-0) at Live Oak (5-1, 3-0), 7 p.m.: This game is for first place in the BVAL Santa Teresa Division, but it’s also the another game in the Trevor Bearden watch. The Live Oak running back reached 5,000 rushing yards for his high school career last week, leaving him 440 short of breaking the CCS career record held by San Mateo’s Toke Kefu (5,439 yards from 2001-03). Bearden has never rushed for 440 yards in a varsity game, but he has come close. He broke the school record last season with 435 yards against Branham. In the season opener this year, he rushed for 401 yards against Gilroy. Last week, he had 316 against Westmont.
-- Darren Sabedra
Monta Vista (5-2, 3-0) at Los Altos (6-1, 1-1), 3:15 p.m.: With victories over Homestead and Cupertino among its three SCVAL El Camino Division wins, Monta Vista can put itself in prime position for the championship with a win Friday afternoon. But to do so, the Matadors will have to beat one of the feel-good teams of the season, Los Altos. The Eagles have gone from 0-10 last year to six wins this season but their only loss was to Homestead, so a victory is needed Friday to stay in the division race.
-- Darren Sabedra

No. 4 Terra Nova (6-0, 2-0) at No. 12 Menlo School (5-1, 1-0), 3 p.m.: This battle of high-powered passing offenses is also a battle for first place in the Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division. Terra Nova QB Anthony Gordon has completed 67 percent of his passes for 1,879 yards with 18 TDs and five interceptions. Dominic Ortisi is the leading receiver (40 catches). Jaylend Jones is the big-play receiving threat (32 catches for 748 yards and 8 touchdowns). John Wallace is the team's running threat (90 carries, 740 yards, 8.2 per carry, 10 TDs). Menlo's Jack Heneghan, a physical dual-threat quarterback, has thrown 26 touchdown passes and rushed for seven more. Peter Bouret has 39 receptions for 614 yards, Graham Stratford 29 for 500 and 10 TDs, Jack Marren 26 for 452 and nine TDs.

-- Glenn Reeves

No. 10 Menlo-Atherton (4-2, 1-1) at Sequoia (3-3, 0-2), 7 p.m.: Last year, as the third-place team from the PAL Ocean, Sequoia pulled a statement-making upset with a 27-7 win over Menlo-Atherton of the PAL Bay in the Central Coast Section playoffs. This year the Cherokees have moved up to the Bay and are hosting their district rivals in a league contest. Sequoia got off to a 3-0 start against relatively weak non-league opponents, but has now lost three in a row, the last two in league. The team played well giving Terra Nova its toughest game of the season in a 26-17 loss, but was blown out by Menlo last Friday, 42-10. Menlo-Atherton lost its season-opener to Campolindo, then won four in a row, including noteworthy victories over St. Ignatius and Los Gatos. Last week the Bears led Sacred Heart Prep 12-0 before the Gators came back with two fourth-quarter TDs for a 15-12 win. Star running back Isiah Nash had 100 yards rushing early in the third quarter before leaving after taking a blow to the head. His availability should be key against Sequoia.
-- Glenn Reeves
SaturdayNo. 1 Serra (5-1, 2-1) at St. Ignatius (1-5, 1-2), 2 p.m.: Terrific depth on defense has been a key for Serra's success this season. Leading tackler Nick Maka didn't play last week and the Padres still nearly shut down Valley Christian, giving up a late TD in a 28-7 win. Not to mention Notre Dame-commit DL Matt Dickenson not having played all season due to a fractured vertebrae. Kava Cassidy has been the top offensive performer, rushing for 651 yards and seven touchdowns. St. Ignatius, after winning the CCS Open Division title last year, has had trouble getting it going this time around. The Wildcats went 0-3 in non-league play, losing to Marin Catholic, Terra Nova and Menlo-Atherton and have lost to Bellarmine and St. Francis in the WCAL. Nothing to be ashamed about losing to any of those teams. Star RB Elijah Dale had only 371 yards rushing through the first five games, quite a bit under his production a year ago.
-- Glenn Reeves
Schedule

Friday

West Catholic

St. Francis at Archbishop Mitty, 7 p.m.

Valley Christian vs. Bellarmine College Prep at San Jose City College, 7 p.m.

Look for us on Twitter
If you have not already, please follow us on Twitter to get updates and retweets from around the CCS.
Here are our handles:
@DarrenSabedra@GReeves23@MercPreps]]>http://blogs.mercurynews.com/hssports/2013/10/25/football-preview-week-8-games-to-keep-an-eye-on/feed/8i-bXPRhjR-L